Who watches the Watchmen? Real-life superheroes.

Turns out that real-world crime fighters -- folks such as the Colorado-based Wall Creeper, profiled in the Westword story "X" -- do more than just rid the world of evildoers. They also review movies.

In this case, not just any movie, but Watchmen, the new film adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's celebrated 1980s comic-book series/graphic novel. And who better to take on a superhero movie than superheroes themselves? Check out below for some thoughts on the film and its source, courtesy of a few of these mystery men.

Entomo the Insect Man in Naples Italy:

I'm not a real-life superhero because of the graphic novel, but I pretty much think Moore's outstanding vision is a work of genius doomed to be regarded as a source of inspiration in the many centuries to come. I just hope the "light" side of his vision will help our movement to grow. We need more colleagues. The movie is a great, well-crafted promo to push people to buy the book and learn something about life. I'm fine with that.

Deaths Head Moth in Virginia:

I think like most comics, Watchmen used extremes to tell a narrative. Unlike other comics, it focused on extremes in perspective and personal ethics (or lack thereof). I've seen some parts of the real-life superhero community mirror some of the extremes in the comics, but for the most part I approve the choices the RLSH's have made.

Watchmen certainly isn't a guideline for procedure, though. If you're thinking of putting on a mask and spandex and just jumping the gun, think for a moment: "Where will this go and what shape am I going to get there in?"

Geist in Rochester, Minnesota:

The Watchmen movie illustrates how flawed a real-life superhero could be. A few of these characters have been severely corrupted or deeply damaged by past experiences, a passing of their glory days and the power of the personae they've enacted.

I think this only glancingly resembles real-life superheroes in some ways, in that we aren't perfect human beings either. We have insecurities, personal problems and career anxieties as much as anyone else. But most of us are more altruistic than the heroes of Watchmen, more along the lines of the character Nite Owl.

The thing that we RLSHs remember is that when we put on our costumes, all that matters is the problems of other people. For however long that is, our problems disappear and it's our turn to do something truly good for others. That's one of the many reasons why I think that any day in costume is a good day.